Light weight, short life and great impact, we'll kill it

When drinking drinks, many people will choose to use plastic straws because it is so convenient to drink! However, a plastic straw with a service life of only 20 minutes will have a great impact on the environment after being discarded. Although we want to resist plastic pollution, the use experience of the straw is really difficult to give up. What can we do?

You know what?

According to statistics, the global consumption of plastic straws is astonishing. In the United States alone, about 500 million plastic straws are discarded every day, and the total length of the connected straws can circle the earth two and a half times. Most plastic straws are too light to pass through the sorting equipment, so they can only be incinerated or buried as non recyclable garbage. Some plastic straws enter the sea through beaches, sewers and other channels. They are not only easily eaten by marine organisms and cause death, but also dissolve into plastic particles, posing a great threat to marine organisms.

Consumer demand is always the biggest driving force for innovation. No, in just a few years, many alternatives to plastic straws have come on the market! Today Xiaowei will introduce several alternatives to plastic straws. Let's open a brain hole.

The most classic paper straw

When it comes to alternatives to plastic straws, we are most familiar with paper straws. In response to the global plastic restriction order, the global fast-food chain brands have announced that they have joined the army to stop using plastic straws. Since April 22, Starbucks has announced that it will take the lead in using paper straws in nearly 1000 stores in Shanghai and Shenzhen.

Paper straws do greatly reduce the use of plastic straws. However, many consumers have also raised objections - they think that the paper straw is not only easy to soften under high temperature, but also the taste of "paper suction" will reduce the experience of drinking.

The oldest straw straw

When we encounter innovation problems, we might as well review the wisdom of the ancients. We all know that the English word for straw is straw, which actually comes from straw. In the ancient Mesopotamian period, people used wheat straw to drink. You know, wheat straw is natural, non-toxic, and can also be naturally decomposed. In particular, the natural hollow shape avoids the trouble of processing and manufacturing, and is perfect!

Of course, there are also reasons why wheat straw was replaced by plastic straw in the change of times. For example, wheat straw naturally has a taste, which will affect the original taste of the drink.

Sweetest mouth sugarcane straw

Whether it's a paper straw that "softens" in the heat, or a straw straw straw with a strange smell, it may not satisfy Taiwan consumers who love environmental protection and pearl milk tea. In order to allow people to resist plastic straws while retaining the experience of enjoying hot milk tea with large mouthfuls, a Taiwanese company has designed and invented a straw made of plant fiber -- a sugarcane straw. The straw can withstand the high temperature of 55 ° C, and because of the complete use of plant fiber, it is extremely easy to be biodegraded by the sea even if it drifts to the sea.

At present, the straw has been produced on a large scale. The only drawback is that sugarcane straw is very easy to be damaged in the manufacturing process, and it is also easy to encounter the situation of more than 55 ° C in the transportation process, resulting in damage.

The most greedy is rice straw

Whether paper, sugarcane or wheat straw are used to make straw, they are all using plant fiber. The processed straw can not avoid the fate of being discarded after 20 minutes of use, resulting in waste. In South Korea, some enterprises use rice and cassava powder as raw materials to develop a rice straw that can be eaten directly.

Cassava is the raw material used to make pearls in pearl milk tea, and cassava is mainly used to make the straw strong and tough, and the surface is more smooth. It is said that the rice straw can be soaked in hot water for more than 3 hours, and can be soaked in cold water for longer. In terms of taste, this straw tastes like rice and is a little hard. It is understood that the wholesale price of this single straw is only 9 cents, and the current monthly output has reached about 300 million.

Some netizens could not help commenting: "I'm afraid the straw has been eaten by me before I have finished drinking.".

The most healthy seaweed straw

With the promotion of the eaters, the straws not only appeared in the edible version, but also appeared in the "health preserving version". In the United States, a pair of little sisters named Chelsea and Leigh Ann made seaweed straw through the special material technology of patent application. Seaweed is the general name of seaweed such as kelp, laver, Undaria pinnatifida, and cauliflower. It is salty and cold in nature, and has the effects of clearing heat, soft, hard, and dispersing... The key is that it has high nutritional value and does not contain calories. It is very healthy.

Food friends, are you excited?

The most personalized portable straw

Of course, the most environmentally friendly way is to completely stop using disposable straws. For those consumers who can't live without straws, portable personalized straws may be the best choice. So someone designed this portable straw called finalstraw. Finalstraw has a length of 23cm, which is suitable for in-house food, take out or daily use. The stainless steel material makes its heat-resistant temperature reach 121 ℃, and it is suitable for heating and ice at normal temperature. Food grade TPE (a thermoplastic elastomer material) makes it healthier than disposable straws.

The most important thing is that if the small and exquisite box is equipped with a key ring or a backpack, it will show full personality and be willing to take it anywhere!

In addition to Xiaowei's introduction of these straws, there are also many alternative attempts among the people, such as glass straws, stainless steel straws, silica gel straws, etc. Xiaowei believes that as long as all people work together to resist plastic straws and give play to their imagination, they will surely find a good way to perfectly replace plastic straws.